Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Unbelievable but true – Monarch butterflies have evolved the ability to medicate their offspring

Here is something that will make you wonder how little we actually know about the intricacies of nature. Research by biologists at Emory University has shown that Monarch butterflies appear to use medicinal plants to treat their offspring for disease.

The researchers discovered that infected female butterflies prefer to lay their eggs on plants that will make their offspring less sick. The research points to the best evidence to date that animal’s use medication.

The research also throws up exciting possibilities of viewing animals and insects as indicators of medicinal properties of plants.

Details of the research appear in the latest issue of journal Ecology Letters.